


Peace In Flames

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Yugioh Advent 2018 [11]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Anxiety, Camping, Candles, Children, Established Relationship, Fire, Fluff, Healing, M/M, Married Couple, Overcoming Trauma, Romance, Trauma, Yami Yuugi | Atem has his own body, yugioh advent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 22:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16962708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Yugi never had a problem with fire, until fire nearly took his partner from him, now it was all he could do to get the stove workingOr: Five Times Yugi Minded Fire, And One Time He Didn't





	Peace In Flames

**Author's Note:**

> Day 11 of Yugioh Advent- "Match"
> 
> It was either this, or a fluff fic about their twins wearing matching clothes, I went with this on a wim

**I.**

Yugi hated fire

He hadn't always felt that way, in fact, once upon a time, he had actually quite liked fire

It was beautifull to watch the flames, and it provided warmth, and there was no reason for him to have anything against it

But those thoughts were from long ago, he knew, and he had learned better over the years

That warehouse fire was all he had needed for him to hate fire, the scars on his hands were enough to remind him of the dangers it held, and he flinched away from it whenever he saw it up close

He never felt good about fire these days, and sometimes, even the most simple things were a struggle, because all he could remember was the way those flames had almost taken away the one person he loved the most

Sometimes he didn't have a choice, and he had to have the flames simply to survive

"Ah... Yugi, it isn't working,"

Glancing up from the vegetables he was chopping, he glanced behind him at Atem as his lover flicked the lighter again and again, but to no avail

Ah....

"Don't worry Mou Hitori, this is why I keep a matchbook here," he said softly, rinsing his hands and drying them quickly before heading over to the stove, humming softly as he pulled a matchbook from the supply drawer of the counter

Atem was watching him with awe and amazement, and that instantly made him feel a bit more at peice as he broke one of the matches out of the book and struck it against the side

A tiny flame appeared on top of the wood, and he felt his stomach sink, his expression turning grim as he hurried to light the stove, and then hurried to put the flame on the match out

"There, now just turn the burner down to 'medium' and come up me with these vegetables,"

The less he had to stare at the flames, the better

 

**II.**

Since his return, Atem had tried his hardest to stay true to his faith

It was a little hard, Yugi knew, to be part of a religion that was essentially dead

The Egyptian faith of old was nearly extinct in the modern day, especially in Japan, and what little existed for it was only found in small doses

A statue here, a candle there, it had taken alot of effort for Atem to build his alter, but once he had it completed, he found himself to be quite proud of it

Yugi liked to accompany him sometimes when he prayed

He wasn't nearly as religious as Atem was, but he was still of the same faith

How could he not be, after the gods had been kind enough to return his beloved to him?

Atem, tonight, seemed especially tired

Wich made perfect sense, considering that he had just gotten home from a long tournament

Yugi wished he would just take a bath and come to bed, but he was fairly insistent on his nightly prayers

The smaller duelist decided to accompany him, mostly to make sure that he didn't fall asleep at the alter like he had done in the past

Or light the house on fire when aiming for the candles and accidentally lighting the curtains or something...

The pharaoh was already yawning by the time he plopped down in front of the alter, his eyes heavy and his shoulders sagged

Yeah.... it really wasn't the best idea to let him near fire....

So, with a loving smile, Yugi took the match book from the drawer of the chest the alter was currently placed on and struck a flame, lighting the candles one by one before blowing out the flames and moving to sit next to the pharaoh

He was almost certain that Atem would fall asleep before this was over with, but he couldn't complain

And he had to admit, Atem's already beautifull face somehow looked even more sweet and serene like this, nearly asleep, and illuminated by the candlelight

 

**III.**

Camping hadn't been his idea

In fact, camping was a pretty far cry of what his idea for a nice vacation had been

But they had drawn straws and Ryou had won and he had wanted to go camping in "haunted woods"

Everyone was pretty freaked out already and the sun had barely gone down- Yugi had a sneaking suspicion that this was why Ryou had been so insistent on this idea to be honest

"Oh come now, the sun isn't even completely gone yet," he said with a soft smile

"Does it have to be!?" Joey practically shreiked, already essentially in Tristan's lap

The behavior drew a laugh from Mai and Tea`, and thus began The Great Camping Argument Of 2018

Atem was shaking his head playfully, already laying in Yugi's lap and yawning

If he had to guess, the game designer would say that he wasn't so comfy due to the camping, but more due to being snuggled up with his smaller partner

He had learned over the months that Atem laying in his lap was essentially a recipe for a sleeping pharaoh

"Can we atleast get a fire goin'? I'm freezin' here!!" Joey shuddered, his teeth chattering dramatically as he rubbed his arms and pouted at Yugi

Why he had been the only one with enough sense to bring some matches was beyond him, and yet....

"Sure Joey," he smiled gently, reaching into his backpack and drawing out his matchbook

Effortlessly, he struck a flame, tossing the entire thing onto the pile of firewood in front of them and watching as the flames began to eat away at the wood beneath

It was ... unnerving to watch, to stare forth and know that a few years ago, he had almost been devoured by flames like the logs in front of them

And more importantly, Atem-......

As if sensing his thoughts, the pharaoh shifted in his lap, reaching up and gently taking Yugi's hand, pulling it down closer and holding it close to himself

The smaller duelist looked down, staring at his lover and feeling an incredible wave of peace suddenly fall over him

It hadn't happened though

He was here, and alive and well, save for a few scars

And Atem was here, and alive and well, and none the wiser to Yugi's anxieties

Something about that realization was calming, and Yugi found himself relaxing a bit as he exhaled, slowly stroking his fingers through Atem's hair, slow and affection and adoring

The fire was frightening, but this was worth it

It was well worth it

 

**IIII.**

It was actually kind of funny, Yugi had never seen a real fireplace before

He hadn't anticipated this at all when he and Atem had decided to take Kaiba up on his offer to stay in one of his condos for their honeymoon

Technically, they _were_ working

There was a gaming convention this weekend and they were both expected to be there

Yugi promoting his game and Atem promoting his sponsorship, so it wasn't like they weren't there on official Kaiba Corp business

....

But still...

"Is everything ok, aibou?" Atem asked as he handed his beloved a cup of hot chocolate

Yugi's face was happy and soft and sweet, nodding slowly as he accepted the mug and immediately took a sip

"Everything is fine," he promised, watching the pharaoh as he moved to sit down on the couch next to his partner

It was snowing outside, Yugi could see it through the windows, and for some reason....

He couldn't stop feeling like the mood would only be complete once the fireplace was on

"Would you like me to start a fire?" he offered, feeling warmth spread through him when Atem began to beam at the idea

"Oh, yes!! I'm _freezing_ ," he laughed playfully

It was no surprise, Atem seemed to generate only the bare minimum of body heat, so ofcourse he was constantly looking for sources of warmth

Giving his partner an adoring kiss, Yugi rose from his seat and grabbed the match book on the coffee table, striking a match and watching the flame grow against the small stick before tossing it into the fireplace

For some reason, he hadn't hesitated like he had when they had gone camping a few months ago

He hadn't felt any hesitation at all

 

**IV.**

Candles

Candles were a staple of anything and everything romantic, he knew that

He just.... wondered if there were enough

There were a dozen here, that had to be atleast _close_ to enough, right?

Ah... no matter, Yugi would find out the answer to that one way or another soon enough, right?

His heart was practically pounding in his chest as he struck the match, watching the flame with little concern as he began lighting the candles one by one, all over the room

They were going to be the only source of light, the only thing keeping the room from complete darkness

And as he heard the dog begin to bark downstairs and the creak of the steps as Atem made his way up, he suddenly decided that he had started lighting candles at exactly the right time

"Yugi, I'm ho-"

Yes, good, Atem was surprised, clearly

And why wouldn't he be?

The bedroom looked like a romantic paradise

There was a dozen candles spread out everywhere to illuminate it, and the bed was covered in rose petals

There was a big box of chocolate laying on the nightstand as well as a little teddy bear

_"Happy Valentine's Day"_ was written on the floor in rose petals, and when Atem finally locked eyes with his husband, it was to find him in a beautifull pink and black set of lingerie

"Happy Valentine's Day, my other self," he said softly

Atem wasted no time, he had Yugi on his back on the bed in a matter of seconds, absolutely attacking him with kisses and pulling laugh after laugh of happiness from his husband as Yugi arched up into the affection

He closed his eyes breifly, opening them again as he giggled with contentedness and joy

His wedding ring was illuminated against the backdrop of candles

It wasn't much, but it just.... provided that extra spark of magic that truly made his heart swell

Being able to see his ring like this... it made everything ten times better

He didn't even mind the candles

 

**I.**

Squeals and giggles echoed around them, and Atem huffed quietly as he shifted closer to Yugi

"Be carefull little ones, don't get too close to the candles," he instructed, striking a match against the side of the book and drawing a flame, lighting a few candles just for mood across the small table they had brought along for their picnic

Emphasis on _small_

It was almost more like a laptop board, actually, but semantics were semantics

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Yugi promised softly, resting his head on Atem's shoulder, adjusting the baby that was currently resting against his chest and watching as the twins chased eachother around in circles

The day was beautifull, it was spring, and the sun was shining

The weather was nice and warm without being too hot, the food was all premade and already warmed up, and there was really no need for candles or a fire or anything else

And yet....

There were candles

Yugi couldn't remember if they were his idea or Atem's, but he didn't care

They didn't bother him, in fact, he quite liked them

There was a beauty to the candles, to the flames, a life that he hadn't seen in them at one point

But he saw that life now

He saw it in his husband, he saw it in his children, he even saw it in himself

Fire could be destruction

It could be ruthless and dangerous and deadly

....

But it could also be beautifull, and warm, and giving, and it was a life force all it's own

Yugi could appreciate that now

The past was the past, and the past could no longer bother him

Not now that he was living with the most ideal present he could ever imagine, and a bright future ahead


End file.
